Monday, September 27, 2010

Kabisera ng Dencio's (Bonifacio High Street. Fort Bonifacio Global City 5th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines) is basically a more intimate and cozy Dencio's. It still features the Filipino fare that we all love about Dencio's but at a setting that is more for quiet talks, romantic dates and family gatherings filled with conversations.

It's for meals where you linger and really talk without the sometimes raucuous laughter (not to mention, bothersome cigar smoke) you associate with Dencio's as a haunt for people with drink in mind. Really highly recommended for its ambience, its great food, its friendly waitstaff and nearby parking.

Kabisera ng Dencio's is also perfect for blogger events like the one I attended because the second level can accommodate between 40-60 people nicely. It's also well-ventilated too (should have worn a poncho). I just failed to take pictures of the place since I arrived late and my camera wasn't charged.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Once upon a time, I had a P. E. professor who said that she's the youngest of a brood of ten and also the tallest. She said that was because, since she was the youngest, she was allowed to roam as she pleased because her parents didn't have time to mollycuddle her anymore.

The truth is, movement does facilitate growth which is why one of the best things parents can do for their kids who want, or can't wait, for them to be taller is to get their kids into exercise or sports (of course, some actually inhibit growth, like gymnastics). Kids who grow up active may not even think of ever using a human growth hormone supplement when they grow up since they'd have realized their maximum potential already through regular activity. Plus, human beings are still evolving so having taller kids and grandkids is actually the norm.

It also doesn't have to be rigorous exercise. Parents can just fly kites, throw Frisbees or jog together. Not all families need to be joining triathlons anyhow. Activity saves a child from obesity and depression too.

Bianca Araneta-Elizalde has written a wonderful poem for her children. "My Masterpiece" is then printed on a lightweight knit scarf and can be the perfect, perfect gift for your Mom or wife this Christmas, or to any mom you know.

It's a great accessory, sure to be conversation starters and a fab, fab way to keep you warm in the coming cold months. It can even cover your chest acne (if any), spills on your clothes or double as a breastfeeding cover while you nurse in public.

If you're not into wearing scarves, you can still use this to spice up your bag. Or like what I intend to do, have it framed for your living room (surrounding it with different pictures of your kids) or your baby's nursery.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

If you're looking for inspirational stamps, cool wordarts and riddles/quotes you can use for your layouts, just create with TLC.

The picture stamps are more Americana images but all the other content of this blog are really fun and funny. Creative parents can even use them as games for their kids or as educational tools to prompt reflection and imagination.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Mommies can still bring their kids to at the 2nd floor (Children's Section) of Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street so they can enjoy storytelling and some arts and crafts. It's from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM and is very much free.

Either as a push present or a Christmas gift to your Mom or Mommy friends, Eden is now selling a Poem Scarf that is sure to be a hit with moms and dads alike.

It features a poem by Bianca Araneta-Elizalde entitled, "My Masterpiece."

For those who can afford, it could even double as unique baby shower invitations and giveaway. Or for people like me who don't really like wearing scarves, just have it framed to decorate your baby's nursery.

Simple really. Drink more water, talk longer and just sample a little bit of everything. Just get one cookie, one small piece of chicken, a teaspoon of stuffing and a sliver of pie. Don't get one whole serving of anything and certainly, do not get two.

This way, you won't really feel deprived because you get to sample everything. And if you really engage in talk (or rapt attention) in between food samples, your brain will register fullness more as you get to smell all the other good stuff without haing to ingest them all.

Suffice it to say that I should have been more than wary of the sponsors for this event. But I really also thought it would be just like most of the baby fairs we go to where sponsors are allotted some time to speak and promote their products. I guess, to them, that is just what they did. But since it's more of a talk supposedly, instead of a fair where attendees really mill around, we were sort of a very captive audience.

THE HIGHLIGHTSBreastfeeding TalkNona Andaya of the Breastfeeding Clinic presented a really greatly summarized breastfeeding talk. She was able to highlight important key points, was very engaging and well, used some really graphic videos. Haha.

Sex TalkMaribel Dionisio of the Love Institute also gave a really good talk on initiating and handling sex talk with your children, whatever age they may be. She also touched on the importance of communication within the family as a cornerstone of raising kids who are aware of what parents disapprove of and why.

Fashion ShowLet's just say, I salivated and drooled and coveted. There were a lot of maternity wear which will convert to nursing wear after so they'd be really great purchases. The mom models were all fab! It was a pity to be seated so far from the stage.

The Host and the PrizesTin-Tin Bersola Babao was very charming. And there were a lot of good prizes raffled off. A 4-month preggy mom went home with a newborn package (stroller, diapers, pillow set) while some moms got P5,000 worth of David's salon gift certificates. I got an Off Lotion loot bag (it wasn't much but it saved me some P200 at least).

THE LOWLIGHTSOh... where do I start?

Flyers said we could register online, which I did. Since I thought it was a prestigious event of sorts, I expected a confirmation of our slots. Maybe I'm just used to blogger events but I was concerned by the lack of confirmation so I found others to e-mail at Parentin.TV. I was texted by someone that they really don't send our confirmation e-mails but confirmed our slots.

I don't know how I'm going to word this properly without sounding like an arrogant, uppity person but come the day of the event, my husband and I were surprised with the crowd that greeted us. The topics for the day included cord blood banking and financial security, there was going to be a fashion show of nursing and maternity wear, and it was being held at St. Luke's Global (currently the most expensive hospital in the country, no matter how much they downplay that fact) so naturally we assumed it was going to be attended by mostly A and B crowd. I even dressed up nicely for it. So seeing really rowdy moms in slippers with their own mothers and all their children in tow was kinda a surprise.

Not having enough seats was also annoying. Lack of visibility of ushers for the occasion also didn't help. Tables were scattered with PSBank envelopes so we didn't know which places are still available... and yet, PSBank was also giving the same envelopes at the door. There was just no order nor system with the distribution of say, complimentary eco bags or snacks. There were too many people that the venue ended up being crowded... and kids were playing on the stage area.

Plus, most of the talks turned out to be hard sell opportunities. The most notable thing I got from it is that parents planning to send their kids to DLSU should prepare some P800,000 per sem 17 years from now and that only 16% of Filipinos save. Other than that, it was just one boring, self-serving pitch after another. I was even really disappointed to see the OB-perinatologist (Dra. Valerie Guinto) who performed my CAS doing the sales pitch for St. Luke's Global. No, she didn't extol the virtues of the Lazy Boy and Wifi and flat screen in their birthing room but she did take longer than usual on how St. Luke's is equipped with the latest and the brightest when she was supposed to be tackling obstetrical care.

What's even laughable about the whole thing is that she said it isn't that expensive to give birth at St. Luke's Global while I have it on good authority that one can expect to spend at least P120,000 there for just a normal, uncomplicated delivery.

Plus, I expect only 10-15% of the audience would be able to afford spending that much on a delivery, and not all those who can, will.

The same will echo in all the other talks. PSBank showed the current and projected cost of sending kids to top universities while about half of who attended will just probabaly send their kids to public schools. There was a talk on cord blood banking (P8,000 yearly fee) and insurance and the virtues of brown rice but the disconnect between the topics and the crowd was just too much.

I did use the word laughable already, right?

And I was actually worried for Tin-tin because although the turnout was spectacular, her sponsors might complain that they weren't able to deliver their target market.

Oh and the event started late and just went on forever. I was beat and we didn't finish anymore the last topic. And I may never attend another event like this with Parentin.tv again. In the end, I found it was just not worth my time, eventhough it was free.

From September 13-25, enrollment for the next batch of Filipino Sign Language students at the DLS-College of St. Benilde will be held from 10 AM - 5 PM. Just head onto the FSL booth along the hallway at the ground floor near the HRD office.

You can also call526-7441 to 47 local 131 or e-mail balizaj@dls-csb.edu.ph.

Semester will start late September to December. Yes, you may need some anti wrinkle eye cream after finishing the course, with all the squinting and eyebrow-raising you'll be doing as you learn to sign and be expressive but FSL classes are so fun and educational. Plus, the Deaf world is really illuminating.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Jun & Jun's Cebu Lechon & BBQ is located near St. Luke's Global City at the Fort, between Home Depot and S&R. My husband already told me that they tend to take their time, service-wise, but since it felt like the safest bet for lunch at the time, we still ate there last Saturday (Sept. 11).

The ambience was nice and the place wasn't packed, even at 12 Noon, as most diners head onto other strips in the Fort area. The waitstaff was okay but they were so unhurried and seemed so unconcerned to be considered accommodating. Plus, somewhere along the chain of command, our order of crispy lechon was forgotten. I was already really hungry and we were already halfway through our kangkong and rice when we thought the wait was just ridiculous and followed up the order... only to be told that the cook has forgotten to prepare it.

They did apologize but it was so weird for say, the waiter or the one who took our order (seemingly a manager or person-in-charge at that) to forget. I respect that they must have thought we were on a diet since they only served us rice and kangkong, but we were giving them pointed stares while waiting for the lechon, so they must have at least asked or checked if anything was amiss.

Good thing though that the lechon only took some 5 minutes to be crispy fried.

Unfortunately though, it was just so-so (and really salty, if truth be told). Even my husband (who isn't pregnant) had to really use a lot of vinegar for it. Even the kangkong was just so-so. And yes, I was too annoyed already to take pictures of the lechon.

The one time hubs ate there with his colleagues, he said it took two hours for their order to be brought to them, and 30 minutes into the eating before the lechon was brought to them.

So would I recommend the place? Certainly not, especially considering the price of its fares. Unless you have all the time in the world, maybe. You can have better-tasting lechon from the food carts/kiosks in food courts.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Super Kids Fair 2010, a two-day event that started today, is the first early childhood education fair in the country. Sponsored by Wyeth and Promil among others, the fair ticket is P80 for both child and adult and features many activities (over freebies).

There's storytelling almost every two hours and also a Gymboree feature in the late afternoon. There are many booths with arts and crafts too as well as sing and dance presentations to entertain your child.

Tired parents can just rest at the modern sofas at SMX's lobby in the first floor. The fair is held at the 3rd floor.

Way before a time when your young one worries which diet pills are best is the best time to get them in the habit of healthy eating and living.

I make sure I offer only healthy food 90% of the time and insist that he gets enough active time. And now, I have also started my son on probiotics with vitamins by giving him Bio Bita Food Supplement Granules everyday.

Bio Bita Food Supplement Granules tastes like vanilla so I can only mix it with his milk, or some water. He loves scooping it up though so it's become a ritual for us that he likes. People I bought it from says that it helps boost appetite for some kids, but my son's appetite has always been good. But literatureand testimonials i've read on probiotics all attest not just to it'sw regularizing effect on bowel movements but also that it boosts the immune system. Perfect for this time of resistant viruses and aggravated allergies.

Promote good digestion in your child. Give them probiotics. Try Bio Bita Food Supplement Granules if you want. It costs about P425/bottle (which is good for some 25 days use) and less if you get more. Just e-mail marketing@vizcarrapharma.com or call 524-5641 to 42.

The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) is ongoing at the SMX Convention Center in MOA. It started yesterday with a lot of discounted books, educational materials and references. It's the perfect sale to buy Christmas gifts to kids from, since they're sure to love storybooks and fairy tale compilations.

You can even get a set of storybooks as unique gifts for a girlfriend, especially if you're able to get something she used to love reading when she was young (say, Little Golden Books). At least they'd be easy read and something she (or you both) can pass onto her future kids someday.

Subscriptions are sure to be discounted there too, so make sure you're armed with enough cash (though some do accept credit cards).

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Do drop your efforts in looking for customer service representative work for a while and think of what distinctly Filipino trait, habit, food it is that you are truly thankful for. Then post that answer to Toblerone Pilipinas' FB page and be among the twenty lucky ones who will win a Toblerone Gift Pack.

This contest is part of their 365 Days of Thanks drive and it sure is a sweet contest to be joining.

I think you have to 'LIKE' their page first before you can officially post your answer. Good luck to us!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

These are the play doughs I have tried. I know I can just as easily make my own but I didn't want to be bothering with food color too. I just make sure that when we do play with the dough, we do so with clean hands and keep to a clean table.

The long and short of it is, you can't really miss with Play Doh. They sell packs of 3 for only P125 but each tub costs about P40. A new one can be quite sticky though so my hubby doesn't like playing with a fresh tub. It's easy to soften up too, both an upside (when you forgot to put it back in its tub and it got dry) and a downside (because you might not know just how much water to add to soften it up).

Play Doh also has so many mold sets to choose from (albeit, a little on the expensive side). A niece has the ice cream factory one. I am actually dreaming of buying that one with the table container just so my son will have a designated table for his play dough time and a container for all the molds and accessories. But the sets are quite expensive and if you have a lot of dough already, you don't really need all the dough that come with the sets. But in terms of color choices, Play Doh really offers variety.

The Art Academy play dough are actually more expensive. A separate pack of just dough makes each tub cost around P60. But we got ours with my son's Farmer and Friends Dough Kit. You have to really add water to it and it can stain your hand, but once properly moldable, I think it's better than Play Doh for dough models you want to be upright. It holds its form better, so to speak.

The Universe of Imagination play dough is my favorite of the three. It's not too soft like Play Doh and holds its form well like Art Academy's. If it ever toughens up, it only requires a few drops of water to make it malleable enough again. Colors are limited though (i've only found red, blue, yellow, white, pink, and green) but each tub only costs around P30 each.

One other thing going for Art Academy and Universe of Imagination play dough is that their tubs/containers have molds for animals.

The small white tubs of dough in the first pic are dough from sets bought from Anding's Toy Store. I am not sure if they're non-toxic as am sure these three are (and other brands too, like Crayola) so I don't recommend them for use with really young children who are still likely to taste or lick their dough.

Play dough is great for developing your child's hand dexterity as well as his imagination. It even relaxes parents. Thus, it's a toy I really highly recommend that all parents provide for their kids (and in our case, for Mommy too).

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Anding's Toy Store in Divisoria also sells really affordable play dough sets and molds. I usually go there to buy these sets but do not let my son use the play dough that comes with it (because I would rather stick with branded ones that I know are non-toxic since my son still has a tendency to go licking). For older kids without sensitive skin though, I think the play dough being sold at Anding's are good enough.

Those in boxes cost P125 while the molds in the plastic container cost P25

The boxed set will provide you with 8 pots of differently-colored play dough, 4 molds and some cutters and also a guide for making patterns

Contents from the set from the plastic container (these are from 3 sets 'coz some molds were not available in the others and I wanted as many dinosaur molds as I can get)

Except for the Play Doh basic set (with the extruders), the other molds in this picture were also bought from Anding's

Anding's also sells play dough in small pails. There are also other molds being sold there, like the one from Play Doh (with extruders) but I wouldn't recommend the crank-style one from Anding's as it breaks easily.

The molds from the boxed set are pretty good though and very flexible and fun :)

Monday, September 06, 2010

The Grandfest Global Exporters and Importers Advanced Christmas Bazaar is happening at the World Trade Center this November 17-21, 2010. It will be a festive five days of shopping for personal use and holiday gifts. What's more, it will also benefit Bantay Bata 163 by ABS-CBN and DZMM's Aksyon Ngayon.

Who knows, you may even find cheap auto insurance there for everything and anything is sure to be exhibiting to cater to every shopper's desires.

For inquiry, participation and booking, people can call Ms. Kris de Guzman, CBB Events Organizing and Management (931-0852; 0919-6222498; 0908-1516602).

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Before, Nuffnang and Goldilocks collaborated to award a laptop and several netbooks for the best blog entries. This year, it's an iPad and Apple iTouch that are up for grabs.

Just blog about change... and include how Goldilocks was a part of that change/those changes. Winners will be chosen under three categories: Creativity, Relevance and Content and Substance. Winners for these categories will each get an Apple iTouch while one person will also get the chance to be the Best Overall Blog Post Winner and bring home the Apple iPad.

For sure, there'd also be Goldilocks gift certificates to be awarded as consolation prizes :)

Hi Mom and Dad... ever wondered how to stay one step ahead of toddler tantrums and tween troubles? Or how to ecnourage healthy eating and exercise in your kids? Or maybe, you're wondering how to instill good values in them. Mommy Academy's 38th Pedia Talk Live entitled "Movin' On Up" has got all the answers for you.

Join us on September 18, 2010, saturday, at the Grand Ballroom of the Dusit Thani Hotel and listen to tried-and-tested tips and advice, straight from child experts.

Also, did your little just turn three or is about to turn three? Sign him up now for "It's Wonderful to be 3", a Big Birthday Bash for to-be threes on Sept. 18 at Dusit Thani Manila. It's surely going to be fun-filled day for three-year olds... what a way to celebrate their birthdays!!! For more details,please call at 8256564/8257454. Admission is free.s

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

The 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River is set on October 10, 2010. This race is organized by the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig. KBPIP is a river rehabilitation project of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources through Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, local government units and agencies, non-government organizations, private corporations, and the public.

The race aims to bring together 120,000 runners. What makes it more exciting is it aims to beat an existing Guinness World Record for the largest foot race in the world. The current holder is the San Francisco Bay Breakers with 110,000 runners.

The goal of the fun run is still for the rehabilitation of the Pasig River and its tributaries. Registration is P250 for all the run categories. The committee did a school caravan to encourage the students to sign up. Registration will also be possible at Bench Stores and at the ROX (Recreational Outdoor eXchange) store at Bonifacio High Street (they will announce on FB on when registration in this two will open).

The 120,000 target looks within reach. From our side though, we’d still need volunteers to ensure that the logistics process will be efficient too since it’s an important part of the event.

Our company, CTSI Logistics, is the Official Logistics Partner of the event. Our role is to handle the baggage deposit and retrieval areas. This means we are to receive, tag, store the bags from the start areas, transport them to the finish area at MOA and distribute them to the rightful owners. The expected number of bags which will be deposited is close to 70,000 and based on our simulations and projections, we’ll need 500-600 people to man our booths and counters.

Aside from the sheer number of participants, the difference here is that the race will have 3 start areas (MOA grounds for 3K, CCP grounds for 5K and in front of Manila Peninsula for 10K) instead of the usual starting area at one place. This is where the challenge lies for the race organizers and for us who is tasked to handle the logistics process.

We’re down to the last 50 days of preparations and we’re hoping more people will sign up either as runners or as volunteers for the race.